An exciting foray into Earth's inland waters, the remarkable species they contain, and the conservation challenges of protecting them.
We call Earth "the blue planet" because oceans cover 71 per cent of its surface. But this description ignores the diverse inland waters – streams, lakes, wetlands, and ground waters – that are so important to global biodiversity. These crucial ecosystems are home to about ten per cent of all known species, many of which are extraordinary, and some of which are critically endangered.
In Beyond the Sea, David Strayer introduces readers to the world's most remarkable and varied inland waters, including volcanic lakes more corrosive than battery acid, catastrophic floods that carried ten times as much water as the Amazon River, ground waters miles beneath our feet that are home to unique microbes, and vast lakes that fill only once a century. These varied ecosystems support a wide array of remarkable and unique species, such as tiny animals that can become "reversibly dead", mussels that seduce fish, and lungfishes that have evolved to meet the myriad challenges posed by inland-water habitats.
Because humans have used – and abused – inland waters so intensively for everything from drinking water to sewage disposal, many species around the world that depend on them are already extinct or in desperate peril. Strayer explains the damage caused by human activities and outlines the solutions that are needed to sustain and restore inland water ecosystems and their inhabitants. Proving that the sea isn't the only watery realm of mystery and wonder, this book illuminates the secrets, science, and amazing denizens of the overlooked waters in our backyards.
Preface
1. Theme and Variations: The Rest of the Blue Planet
2. Inland Waters: Types, Sizes, and Shapes
3. Origins: How Inland Waters Are Made
4. Age: Lifespans of Inland Waters
5. Disruption: Stability and Disturbance in Inland Waters
6. Materials: The Chemical Diversity of Inland Waters
7. Isolation: All Inland Waters are Islands
8. Life: Inland-Water Diversity
9. Challenges: How Do You Keep From Getting Washed to the Sea?
10. Challenges: What Do You Do When the Water Dries Up?
11. Challenges: How Do You Find Some Lunch?
12. Challenges: And Then There's Sex
13. Peril: Human Impacts on Inland Waters and Their Biodiversity
14. Solutions: Protecting and Restoring Inland-Water Ecosystems
15. Back to the Theme: Closing Remarks
Notes
Index
David Strayer (ANN ARBOR, MI) is a freshwater ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. He is a co-editor of Fundamentals of Ecosystem Science and the author of The Hudson Primer: Ecology of an Iconic River.
"The ocean of water 'beyond the sea' exists as multitudes: innumerable rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds, together forming one of the planet's most vital elements. Heraclitus wrote that a man can't step into the same river twice. Strayer explains that dynamism in the clearest prose, taking us on a tour of the world's inland waters: how they are formed, their chemical and physical processes, and their remarkable organismic diversity."
– John Waldman, author of Heartbeats in the Muck: The History, Sea Life, and Environment of New York Harbor
"Strayer reveals the staggering scale and subtly fascinating worlds of lakes, streams, and wetlands. Not since Luna Leopold's classic A View of the River has a scientist decoded the intricacies and wonder of freshwater systems in such an approachable way."
– Martin Doyle, author of The Source: How Rivers Made America and America Remade its Rivers
"Strayer provides an impressively comprehensive description of the diverse physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of inland waterbodies, the numerous threats to these systems, and approaches to reduce these threats. Beyond the Sea is written in an engaging style, fact-filled with fascinating examples, and thought-provoking."
– Martin B. Berg, coeditor of An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America
"Wade into the vibrant world of inland waters, where lakes shimmer with life, streams show their resilience, and wetlands teem with biodiversity. Beyond the Sea helped remind me of the delicate balance of freshwater ecosystems and their importance in safeguarding our planet's biodiversity and water resources."
– Jennifer L. Tank, Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative